To infect the brain, fungi evolved from bird droppings

According to the latest research by scientists at the University of Utah Health Center, a fungus is a common cause of fungal meningitis, and once it enters the human body, it undergoes a significant shift that infects the brain

This finding may lead to new blocking strategies

"Cryptococcus has a wide variety of cells in the lungs, varying

This fungus can quickly adapt to the microenvironment in the body

Brown has observed fungi thriving in many different habitats

Previously, other scientists have found that the fungus copes with life in the lungs by growing to 10 times its normal size, possibly because the host's immune system cannot be destroyed

To find out, her team used c.

The evidence suggests that the small fungal cells that Brown calls "seed" cells aren't just miniature versions

After searching for triggers, Brown's team discovered a special chemical — phosphate — that can induce this shift

From guano to the brain

Curiously, the fungus's ability to effectively target the brain may stem from a unique source: bird droppings

Brown thinks this could demonstrate how the pathogenicity of this fungus was initially produced

Regardless of how the fungus is contagious, the team is now trying to block this ability

A dissemination-prone morphotype enhances extrapulmonary organ entry by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans